Module 5 · Paint
Paint that dries
before you finish
your sentence.
Acrylic is fast, forgiving, and a little bit sneaky. Learn how it behaves and it'll do almost anything.
Chapter 1
Color in a
plastic skin.
Acrylic paint is color mixed with a kind of plastic glue. It starts wet and washes off with water. When it dries, it turns into a tough, waterproof skin.
Acrylic paint is pigment (color) mixed into a binder made of acrylic polymer, a type of plastic. It goes on wet, thins with water, and dries into a flexible, waterproof skin. Drying is the big thing to learn: it happens fast.
Acrylics only became widely available in the 1950s. David Hockney's A Bigger Splash (1967) is acrylic, and its flat, bright color is a good example of what the paint does well.
The drying clock
Drag to see what's happening to a fresh brushstroke.
Thick paint takes longer to dry than thin paint. A warm, dry room speeds it up.
Words to know
Binder
What holds the pigment together and makes it stick.
Opaque
You can't see through it. It covers what's underneath.
Glaze
Thinned, see-through paint that tints what's below.
Palette
The surface you mix on, and the set of colors you use.
Chapter 2
Pick the
right brush.
Different brushes make different marks. Tap each one to see what it does.
Take care of your brushes
Keep them damp while you work. Rest them flat on a paper towel or hairs-up in a cup, never bristles-down in the water. Rinse before the paint dries: dried acrylic is plastic, and it ruins a brush for good.
Chapter 3
Mix any color
from five paints.
You only need red, yellow, blue, white, and black. Add drops to the mat to make new colors. Match the colors on the list!
A small set of paints goes a long way. Use red, yellow, and blue like on the color wheel. White makes a color lighter (a tint). A tiny bit of black makes it darker (a shade). Add drops to the mat and match the targets.
Pro tip: add the dark color to the light color a little at a time. Black and blue are strong, and a tiny dab goes a long way.
Match these
Mix until the check fills in. There's more than one way to get there.
Chapter 4
Six marks
to master.
1. Flat fill
Load a flat brush and pull smooth, overlapping strokes in one direction. Try: an even block with no gaps.
2. Line work
Use a round brush and change pressure: press for thick, lift for thin. Try: five lines from thick to thin.
3. Dry brush
Wipe most of the paint off. Drag lightly so the paint catches only the high spots. Try: grass, wood, or fur.
4. Wet blend
Put two colors side by side and blend where they meet, quickly, before the paint gets tacky.
5. Value scale
Pick one color. Add a little more white for each box to make four steps from dark to light.
6. Glaze
Thin paint with water until it's see-through. Brush it over a dry layer to tint it.
Try them: the brush lab
This is practice before you touch real paint. Fill each box. Use My mix to paint with the color you made in Chapter 3.
Chapter 5
Set up. Paint.
Clean up.
Acrylic is permanent once it dries. These habits keep your clothes, brushes, and the room safe.
Set up
Paint
Clean up
Oops. Now what?
My brush dried with paint in it
Try soaking it in warm soapy water and gently working the paint out with your fingers. If it's already hard, it may be ruined. That's why we rinse early.
I got paint on my clothes
Act fast! Rinse it under water right away while it's still wet. Once it dries, it won't come out. Tell your teacher.
I don't like what I painted
Don't scrub. Let it dry completely, then paint over it with thick, opaque paint. Acrylic hides mistakes really well.
My colors turned muddy
Too many colors got mixed, or the colors were opposites. Mix on the palette, use fewer colors, and clean your brush between colors.
My paint is streaky
It's probably too thin or drying too fast. Use a little more paint, work in one direction, and let each coat dry before adding another.
Chapter 6
Check yourself.
Chapter 7
Now paint it
for real.
Print the stroke sampler, paint all six boxes, and clean up like a pro.
Tip: print on cardstock or heavy paper so it holds up to paint.